Week 11 - Methods 1

This week in lab, we switched to the chemistry section of the class. We met Jeff and did class introductions. He gave a brief overview of the syllabus and chemistry topic.

We investigated many questions to get our chemistry focus kicked off! To investigate these many questions this week, we conducted six separate investigations around the room. They included things like pop cans, water, ice, m&ms, plungers and so on.

Investigation 1: Cold Soda

We predicted that taking a cold soda out and drying it off would lead to condensation. The cold molecules inside will form water molecules on the warm outside of the can. We have seen this occur in the real world a lot so it was easy to guess what would happen. We took the pop can out, dried it off, and set it down. We watched our can for a few minutes and it began to "sweat". Condensation is when water vapor in the air touches cold temperature that reaches its dew point and condenses as liquid on the surface.

Investigation 2: Plunger Push

We predicted that the plunger would suction better on the table surface than the cardboard trifold. We were correct but not sure why. We said that it might be because the cardboard is more porous and not as flat so the plunger is not able to grip as well. Very interesting findings.

Investigation 3: Melting Ice

We predicted that the ice would melt faster on the wood than the pot because it was a warmer temperature. The opposite happened, the pot ice melted much faster. This was very shocking to us. We aren't sure why this occurred. We think maybe the metal is a better conductor.

Investigation 4: Coke Float

We thought that the larger cans would sink in the water and the small cans would float. We placed both diet and regular small cans into the water. They bobbed down and came up. We out the big cans in the water and they floated as well. The diet cans floated crooked but stronger than the regular pop cans. We aren't sure what is going on. The previous group had different results than us with the exact same cans.

Investigation 5: Baking Soda and Vinegar

During this investigation we predicted that the vinegar and baking soda would bubble and fix when mixed together in the bag. We added both items and it had a chemical reaction. Instantly there was fizzing and foaming within the bag. We toughed the bag from the outside and were surprised to find it was a cold temperature.

Investigation 6: M&Ms in Water

For this activity we poured water on a plate and added colorful m&ms. We predicted that the color would come off of the candy and spill into the water. When we added them and the dye began clouding around the pieces while coloring the water. After a while, the entirety of the water was multicolored.